Judecca
by Adamant
Summary: A collection of interconnected drabbles and short stories exploring the extensive cast of Assassination Classroom. Mostly pretty serious and introspective, and full of my personal headcanon. Latest chapter: Okuda and Karma pull a Halloween prank together.
1. Nagisa: I Would Give Anything

**1. Nagisa Shiota: I Would Give Anything**

* * *

_March 18, after the final exams_

I watch myself in the mirror as I redo my tie for the fourth time this morning, trying to get it absolutely perfect. The sun isn't even up yet, but it's going to be a big day, and I can't sleep. I'm anxious, but my face doesn't show it. The dour expression looking back at me is one I've been wearing a lot over the past weeks. It's been a few days since we took our final exams for the year, though we haven't gotten the results back yet. That's not why I'm looking so down. I know I did well. Better than I would have thought possible a year ago.

Last year… was a disaster. I've always struggled with science and math. All the different facts and methods just don't click together in a way that makes sense to me, and I used to end up forgetting everything when it counted. But I never thought I'd do so poorly overall that I'd score in the bottom fifth of the school. Never thought I would land in class E.

Class E, as in the class of the end, where everyone is a designated target for bullying with no consequences. A class of failures, delinquents and misfits. When I saw my exam results from last year, it felt like dying. Like I had become a ghost and nobody could see me any more. Almost all of my friends cut off contact. Even my own parents wouldn't look me in the eye. Part of me wanted to scream at them that I was still alive. I was still a student of one of the most prestigious schools in the country. But back then I was the kind of person who accepted others' views of me. I didn't have the will to demand that they recognize my existence. That doesn't mean that I stopped wanting them to, though. I would have given _anything_, done _anything_, to get them to look at me again. Even kill.

Then the moon exploded.

Nobody in the world will ever forget that day. We all stayed in, held each other close. They looked at me then, but not for long. Only until the initial panic subsided and we figured out it wasn't the end of the whole world. But then, that lead to meeting _him_.

The best teacher any of us will ever have. An octopus with the face of an emoticon, capable of moving at mach 20, who was going to destroy the world in one year unless we, a class of middle schoolers, could kill him first. I had never heard anything more absurd in my life, even in fiction. We all thought that this just couldn't be real. It took a while to sink in. But once it did…

_"I bet I could kill him. I mean, this teacher doesn't even see me as a hitman."_

It was just what I was waiting for. Kill my teacher, get the contract money, prove my worth. I didn't even care that I could have died during that first attempt if Terasaka had been wrong about the strength of that grenade. That changed quickly. Maybe from the first time he praised my skills as an assassin.

Dawn has come. My parents are early risers, so they'll have breakfast ready by now. They like to leave for work before the rush hits. I head to the kitchen, where father is reading the newspaper at the table. Mother is putting a bowl of white rice on the table. She sees me, and looks away, mumbling a quick "good morning." I say it back, and that is all the conversation we'll have over the meal.

I have never stopped working on the assassination, but over time my focus shifted. I loved finding out new things about our target, growing stronger, receiving honest praise for our progress. It's been motivating, and thrilling. I've never felt so alive. Now, though, I may have come to love the journey more than the thought of reaching our goal. I've only realized it now that we're so close to achieving it. I don't want our assassination classroom to end any more. I want to keep growing like this longer. For as long as I possibly can.

Absentmindedly, I finish my rice and get up to leave immediately. Outside our house is a black car with tinted windows, and I hesitate for a moment. A feeling of unreality comes over me, just like at the beginning of the year. Can this be real? Is this really happening? In a few short hours, I'm going to kill my teacher, who has done more for me than anyone in my life. When I struggled, my parents never offered to help me. I felt like I was only of any worth to them when I excelled with my own power. It's his praise that I want more than anything now. How could I do this to him?

I suppress the feeling. Obviously, I just have to do it. This plan has been in motion for weeks. I can't back out now. Others have their parts in it, but I'm the only one who could carry out the lead role. Everyone agreed with that. "First among equals," is what Isogai called me. And it's too late to try something else and expect it to succeed. The deadline for the world's destruction is only a few days away. This is the best shot we've ever had. Ritsu put our chances at 35 percent, or 65 if I was the one to finish it. For everyone's sakes, at this point I have no choice but to follow through.

I open the door and get in the back seat of the car. Karasuma-sensei is sitting next to me, which I didn't expect. I thought some random guy would do the final briefing. The driver is a woman I've seen around the school building from time to time, also from the defense ministry. She starts the car the moment I'm in. I'm not the only one anxious about today's events.

Karasuma nods in greeting, but keeps looking straight ahead. "We have spotters in position around the school and our route to your insertion point. According to his usual schedule, the target will be arriving soon. I'll be going in the front of the school as usual. You are to remain in this car until the spotters send the signal and you can start your approach from the back. The spotters will make a few token attempts to snipe the target so he doesn't grow suspicious that anything else is going on, then withdraw within 15 minutes. It will take you an hour to reach the school building, by which time he will not be as attentive to the area you will approach from. The weather is clear, and will remain so for the rest of the day. Everything else is set up and ready to go. The only thing needed now is you."

I'm slumped forward with my elbows on my knees. I know all of this. I'm the one who collected most of the information needed to make this plan a reality.

"I'm sure you're completely familiar with the details of the plan, but is there anything you want to ask?" He asks, looking at me now.

Yes, there are things I'd like to ask. Things that have been kept from us all this time, like why such a caring and compassionate teacher would want to destroy the world, and why was he created in the first place. The difference between what they said he is and what we see him as is so wide that I've never truly been able to believe it. Maybe now is the time to get those answers. A switch flicks on in my mind as I turn to look at him, my eyes sharp and focused, and aimed right at his neck instead of his face.

"Karasuma-sensei." I say with a low voice. "Is there anything you're going to regret not telling us before the end of the hit?"

He flinches a little, but doesn't blink. He's been slightly on edge around me ever since the incident with Takaoka, and I know he can sense the killing intent pouring off of me now. Maybe he can even see the snake. I want him to know that I'm deadly serious about this. If this is all just some misunderstanding or accident, and I end up killing Koro-sensei when it doesn't need to happen, I am going to put my prodigious skills to use on all of those who created this situation, starting with him, and I don't know when I'll stop.

But he doesn't turn away. He holds steady and replies firmly and earnestly. "There's nothing."

…I believe him. So, that's it. That was the last thing that could have diverted me form my purpose. Nothing is going to stop this hit from going forward.

And in this moment I would give anything to not be the one to do it.

* * *

**Just a short little drabblish thing to put together my thoughts on Nagisa's character. I've got ideas for others if people show interest, including for Koro-sensei himself. That one's gonna be a real barn burner.**

**This is Nagisa outside of his usual self, more melancholy, more self-reflective. It seems to me that the students of 3-E really don't want to kill Koro-sensei all that much. It's more the joy of their own growth that drives them to make the efforts they do, but they don't really expect any of it to work. It's mostly a game, which is not to say their skills as assassins aren't legitimate. But I think if they really believed that Koro-sensei might die, by their hand or another's, it would give them pause, like during Koro-sensei's first fight with Itona.**

**But I didn't want Nagisa to come off as weak-willed in his reflections. As we all know, he's a natural born killer, who's going to complete the hit regardless of his personal feelings. That's why I made sure to show off his full strength as well as his self-doubt, which he has a lot of. So that's what that last bit is about.**


	2. Okuda: Ammonium Thiosulfate

**2. Manami Okuda: Ammonium Thiosulfate**

* * *

_March 2, before the final exams_

There are many things I don't understand. I'm not good with people, or with literature. I can't read body language well, or comprehend figurative speech. I can't speak convincingly or casually. I can't tell when I'm subtly being made fun of or lied to. I trust far too easily. If I were to put a label on myself, it would be that I have Asperger syndrome, though I have not been officially diagnosed. I don't want my parents to think I'm mentally abnormal on top of my other failings.

It used to be that I could get by just as I was. I'm good at science and math, and I thought that was enough. Or, I just didn't want to make the effort. That would mean admitting there was something wrong with me. I know now that that thinking itself was wrong. Everyone has shortcomings they need to work to overcome, especially here in class E. I'm so happy that they were just willing to meet me half way in my efforts to get to know them. I owe it all to Koro-sensei.

I was so terrified of him at first. Everyone else seemed to treat it like a joke. Was it just that they couldn't believe it? I guess. But I accepted what they told us immediately, as I usually do. I never dreamed that I could be the one to kill him, but I wanted that 10 billion yen just as badly as anyone, so I had to at least try. My plan wasn't any good, and even that took me weeks to work up the courage to try. In that time, though, I started to admire him. He's so clear, so sure of his knowledge. It's like everything he teaches us gets through better than when other teachers do it. And I can sense a scientist's mind in him. Not that I'm any good at that sort of thing, I just… feel it.

Plus, there's his image duplication ability. The first time he showed it to us in PE class, I was so amazed. It's too bad nobody else appreciated just what an incredible thing we were seeing. Karasuma-sensei is wonderful too, but I wish we could see more of what Koro-sensei can do. I mean, he shows he is capable of accelerating and decelerating at an incredible rate when he does this. With computer-like precision, he stays in one place for an exact fraction of a second before moving again. He can even process dozens of conversations simultaneously, and produce the exact sounds needed during each of his stopping periods to create the illusion of continuous speech. His mind must be completely different from ours in terms of mechanics. Could he have some form of optical brain or, dare I even wonder, a biological quantum computer? Of course, persistence of vision is how the visual illusion is created, but sound wouldn't work the same, not unless he returned to the same position many times each second, though he could be producing his speech at a heightened frequency, while moving his head backwards at a significant fraction of the speed of sound, thus creating a Doppler effect. That would cause a sound produced over a short period of time to arrive at our ears over a long period of time, and decrease the sound frequency to make it sound normal. It's certainly possible for his vocal chords, or whatever he has instead. When teaching us all individually we don't even have to worry about overhearing each others' lectures because he produces a vacuum with his motion, which also prevents most of the sonic boom. So amazing. I wonder at what point in the sequence he takes in air. It must be-

Oh dear, I'm rambling in my head. I'm trying to stop that. People get bored when I do it out loud. I wish I could study him. I'll be sad when he dies, but also… disappointed. I suppose Itona Horibe will still be around, but its physical capabilities have always been vastly inferior to Koro-sensei's. Inferior materials produce inferior data, and that one is barely worth the effort of a vivisection. Well, it might be worthwhile to test the 7th formulation of my Victoria Falls on it. Mwahahaha.

No, I have to focus on my work. My assistants will get nervous if I start laughing, and that could lead to mistakes. I have a lot to contribute to this, our final plan. Everything must be perfect. It's been so hard earning everyone's trust so that they'll allow me to do this instead of buying from the Ministry of Defense. Their stuff is cheap, mass-produced garbage.

Yes, nobody used to trust me, to trust my competence. I was so foolish, blindly trusting Koro-sensei just because I was in awe of him. Akabane-kun was right to laugh at me. My first attempts were just me being silly, trying to kill him while knowing my complete ineptitude at deception. It didn't occur to me to ask anyone else. I thought we were all on our own. I deluded myself into thinking that if anyone could do it, I could.

Koro-sensei made a mockery of me. Used me. Luckily, the effects of the chemical I made weren't permanent, but even still I don't know how he kept himself from showing his looking-down-on face. I thought he had affirmed me during our study session. It hurt to find that the complete opposite was true. What particularly stung was when he turned to Shiota-kun, who I have always looked down on just a little because he's terrible at science, and asked him how he would deliver poison. Shiota-kun immediately came up with a method tailored for our target's specific personality. Our teacher held him up and put me down. He demonstrated unequivocally how impossible it was to assassinate him with my skill set alone. But I guess in my case it was just what I needed to wake me up from the complacency that landed me in class E in the first place.

So I tried to make friends with Shiota-kun. It seemed fitting. He's strong where I'm weak, and lots of people in our class get along with him. Entering into that circle was surprisingly easy. Connecting with everyone on a day-to-day basis… is much harder. When they gossip, I get bored quickly. When I talk about the newest chemical formulation I'm trying out, they get bored quickly. It's tough. But they're patient, and they try, and I try, and somehow we've started to grow closer. After all, we're all misfits in one way or another. I have Asperger syndrome, Akabane-kun is a quasi-sociopath, Kataoka-san is prone to co-dependence, Isogai-kun is homosexual, Okajima-kun is a filthy pervert, Hazama-san is terminally uninteresting, Shiota-kun is…

…I worry about Shiota-… about Nagisa-kun. He scares me a little, after the several times I've seen how fast he can turn from friendly to murderous. But I'm also scared _for_ him, with how good an actor he is. He could do it for a living if not for… well, this. But the role he's been playing these last few weeks, even though I know the plan it's still good enough that I wonder if it isn't real. I wouldn't want to be him right now. Nobody's closer to Koro-sensei than he is. …I'm going to make sure that I'm there for him after this is all over. I could easily be wrong, but if I'm not he'll need all the friendship he can get. …Somehow, it's a pleasing notion, being needed.

I'll be there for him with the best possible support I can provide, both before and after. Now that I know that connecting with someone else is at least possible for me to do, I won't back away when I can help. I have a place here in our organization. We react together to produce the most spectacular result. It's not bad, having friends. I wish I had known sooner.

* * *

**This chapter is rather different from the last one. It's entirely introspection, with no actual interaction, but Okuda is much more a support member than a doer. So it's all about Okuda, and her issue is that she's got Asperger syndrome, and a pretty severe case at that. I'm aspergic myself, so the signs in canon are pretty obvious to me, and this is one where I let my personal beliefs slip in quite a bit. Having Asperger syndrome isn't a walk in the park, but there are far worse afflictions. If everyone is willing to put in a bit of effort, and have a bit of patience, it needn't be a terrible burden. I'm often thankful for it. I think it makes me more objective than most people. As for the "shame of mental abnormality" part, that's a Japan thing. Even if it's as mild as Asperger syndrome, it's just not talked about. They prefer to ignore it, and hope it goes away. Anyway, as far as Okuda is concerned I had two main points I wanted to get across: her Asperger syndrome, and her mad scientist-ness.**

**On to Isogai. Originally this chapter was going to be about him, and it was going to be awesome. But it looks like in the next few chapters of the manga (as I write this, the most recent is 51) he may be getting some small measure of focus, so I decided to put it off for a couple weeks. Now, I'm sure that there were a few eyebrows that got raised when I declared him to be gay in this chapter. Yes, I completely made that up. But considering that class E is a laundry list of reasons to be a social outcast, I figured it wouldn't be complete without at least one gay student. You may be thinking, isn't Japan progressive in terms of acceptance of homosexuality? Well, in some ways yes, and in some ways no. I have certain specific reasons in mind for why I picked Isogai, and why I think Isogai's situation would fall on the "no" side, which I will elaborate on… whenever I get around to it. Regardless, you can rest assured this fic will remain rated T.**


	3. Nagisa: Why Do You Want

**3. Nagisa Shiota: Why Do You Want**

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_June 15, after seeing the movie in Hawaii, the morning before Itona appears_

"Ah, good morning, Nagisa-kun. You've certainly come early today." Sensei beams at me, as always, sitting at his desk in the faculty office. Mental note, his face is yellow. If it were pink, that would mean he's the type who wakes up slowly, but that seems not to be the case.

"Good morning, sensei." I step into the room, closing the door behind me. "I wanted to get you something to thank you for yesterday." I say, handing him a small candy box.

"Oho, konpeitou. One of my favorites." He looks happy, but then he has many, many favorites. He laughs that odd laugh of his. "Nurufufu. But, you know… If you wanted to slip a bb pellet into my food, a softer candy like chocolate would be better."

I laugh a little, nervously. I have thought about trying that, or making home-made candy with ground up anti-sensei pellets mixed in, but I figured the amount wouldn't be enough to seriously injure him. Besides, he's more careful than he seems. That's the kind of thing that would only be useful once.

Sensei pops a few into his cavernous mouth, content. "You know, konpeitou was introduced to Japan by Portuguese traders back in the 16th century. Famously, it was even used as a gift to Nobunaga Oda by Christian missionaries in exchange for allowing them to spread their religion. But, the earliest candied sugar treats date back even further, to the 9th century in Iran. Over a thousand years ago. It's amazing, isn't it? People were able to make so many wonderful things, even without modern technology to help."

"Well, luck had a lot to do with it, right? I mean, a lot of famous discoveries were made by accident, weren't they?"

"Quite true. Gunpowder, for example, was created by people searching for an elixir of immortality."

I chuckle at that. "But what they got was pretty much the opposite."

Sensei freezes, another piece of candy stuck to a tentacle, half way to his mouth. For a second it looks like his face is changing color. Blue. Shock? No, the shade is too light. Sadness. It takes me a moment to realize why.

_"You are quite a pitiful creature, aren't you? Intending to become the world's savior, you've been reduced to its destroyer instead."_

I shift uncomfortably, but sensei continues to eat as if nothing had been said. He's good at hiding what he's really feeling, and it's easy to regard him as a cartoon character with the way he looks. Still, I know what I saw, and I feel bad. I want to apologize, but if he's letting my comment slide I should probably let it go. Still, it makes me think of something I've often wondered, something important. I've gone this far, I might as well ask.

"Sensei, you really seem to enjoy a lot of things. Teaching, eating things from around the world, even that movie we saw yesterday in Hawaii." How odd that that seems normal now. He looks at me with a hint of curiosity. "Would you please tell me, why do you want to destroy the world?"

He doesn't answer right away, and I feel a bit proud at giving him pause twice in one conversation. Suddenly, he stands to his full height. I take an unconscious step back as he laughs, his face mocking me with yellow and green stripes. "Nurufufufufu. A presumptuous question, Nagisa-kun. Do you really think a single box of candy is enough to buy such knowledge?" He downs the entirety of my gift, box and all. "What you need to know is that I **will** destroy the world in nine and a half months' time, right on schedule. That is all."

I am dismissed after that. But he's right, that's all I needed to know. He didn't answer my question directly, but I think I understand. It's not that he **wants** to destroy the world. It's only that he **will** destroy the world. Meaning, he can't be talked down from it. It's not so much his desire, but he has to do it… Something like that. There's more I want to know, like why he was really born in the first place, but I'll find a time to ask later. I enjoyed talking to him, and I'm satisfied with what I learned too, even if it doesn't change anything. We still have to assassinate him, we're just one tiny step closer. Now, time for class.

* * *

**Unlike in the first chapter, here Nagisa is more like his usual mood and nature. Specifically, a kind and thoughtful boy who can have a friendly conversation with you and plot your death at the same time.**

**This chapter is pretty vague, but the point I've raised here is very important to the plot, in my assessment.**


	4. Sugaya: Eyes that See

**4. Sousuke Sugaya: Eyes that See**

* * *

_June 2, before the retaliation against Seo and Kaho_

_"Sorry for the short notice, Sugaya. We only just found out about this, and we don't want to lose the chance. Whoever and whatever you need, get back to me as soon as you can."_

Yeah, no kidding it's short notice. Give me just twenty-four hours, Sugino, that's all I ask. But that's how I ended up losing my Sunday morning to preparing for this retaliatory attack. I need to disguise a couple of my classmates so that some people from the main school won't recognize them. Well, at least it'll be fun to see my work in action.

I'm gonna give a pair of them old age disguises. With so little time to work with, this is gonna hinge on not giving the targets a reason to look too close. If they're from the main school, they won't bother taking much notice of those they see as weak, so yeah. It's lucky for them that I happened to have a couple masks half-prepared already. I worked on them while daydreaming about Nagisa and Kayano as an old married assassin couple.

_"Hweeh, what're you swingin' thah knife at me fer."_

_ "Fifty years, fifty years and you still don't put the toilet seat down. Ugh, I should put tetrodotoxin in your next meal."_

_ "Dear, we've discussed this. We only take out thuh tetrodotoxin fer special occasions."_

…They don't need to know about that.

Those two both showed up at my house a minute ago, carrying the costumes they prepared themselves. Kayano is watching TV or something in another room. Behind me, Nagisa is in a chair surrounded by plastic sheets to avoid any mess, and lots of lights so I can see better. He looks a bit intimidated, which he should be, but not for the reason he thinks. He's gonna be sitting still in that chair for quite a while.

No reason not to take advantage of that for a little laugh, though. I turn to him with his mask in hand.

"I slaved over this mask all night, using all of my knowledge and skill. It will make you indistinguishable from the real thing, however… Once you put it on, **it can never be removed**."

For a split second, he's shocked. His mouth drops open a little and everything. But then he gets a dangerously annoyed look in his eye, so I quickly backpedal.

"Just kidding. It's only a rubber mask I touched up a bit."

I get to work, and before I know it it's a half hour later, and I'm mostly done blending the edges of the mask with his skin. This would be so much easier if the plan didn't call for them to talk. Then we could make do with a full head mask, and cover up their eyes with opaque glasses. But I'm still not skilled enough to apply something like that in a way that would allow them to talk and not be really obvious that they're wearing masks, so there has to be a hole for their mouths, which makes this a lot more complicated.

"Here, take a look." I say. Nagisa's kinda zoned out from boredom, but he comes out of it to take the mirror I offer him. He gasps when he sees himself. I have to smile proudly at his reaction. It feels good that he's impressed. He already looks pretty convincing. I've gone far enough that you can hardly tell where rubber meets skin.

"We're not done yet." I tell him. He looks up at me with surprise. "Next is the old age makeup. There's a reason I asked you two to come here so early." I sit down off to his side and gently turn his head towards me. Gotta be careful not to disturb the mask.

He sighs as I reach for a makeup sponge. "Do we really have to go that far?"

Probably not. "The skin around your mouth and eyes has to match the mask in both color and texture. It looks too young. This next step is gonna give it a bit of roughness, then I'll add some wrinkle lines, to give your face some history, and finally some darker color. By the way, have you thought about how you're going to change your voice yet?"

He can only shake his head slightly, since I'm applying foundation around his mouth.

"Well, you should practice while I'm working on Kayano-san. Your voice has to match your looks. Art is all about giving off an impression. Giving people an idea without words. Or, you know, with subtext. Like Koro-sensei does."

Suddenly, he looks pretty sharp-eyed. Figures that would get his attention. He still can't speak, but he asks with his eyebrows. "I'm sure you must have noticed. Koro-sensei's face is supposed to change color with his mood, but actually he can change it to look however he wants, whenever he wants. He can give any impression he wants. So how much of his mask is real, and how much is the impression he wants to give us? How much do we really know him? That's what's possible when you create and control your appearance. That's what you have to do too, to pull off this disguise."

It's something I've thought about all year, ever since I started learning how to make disguises. There's power in controlling how people see you. Although, it's not good to make too much use of that power around people you want to bond with.

Little do I know that months from now this line of thought will become a key part of the plan to assassinate Koro-sensei once and for all.

* * *

**Sousuke Sugaya is a character I enjoy when he shows up. He only gets to do things a few times, but each time he proves that he's good at what he does. He's laid back, but he's the type of laid back that still gets things done because he just enjoys doing them. I think he's got a good career ahead of him in the film industry, or he would if he weren't destined to become part of the support staff for a new team of assassins. I should say, he's a bit out of character here. He's really not the type who thinks too much about things. I suppose you could say that this is his one deep thought, and since his specialty is disguises I figured it would make sense for him to be the first to realize that the mood Koro-sensei shows on his face is not necessarily the one he's really feeling.**

**Kaede is present, or at least in the vicinity, but she doesn't get to do anything. Which, sadly, is pretty much just like how she is in the manga too. I'd like to do a chapter about her, as she is one of the students who appear most often, but aside from her blinding hatred of large breasts I don't really know what to make of her, and I don't want to reduce her to just being a love interest-type character.**

**I've alluded several times to some major plan that the students come up with around mid-February that will ultimately kill the unkillable. Yes, I know exactly what the details of that plan are.**


	5. Koro-sensei: Time of the Weak

**5. Koro-sensei: Time of the Weak, Jakusha no Jikan**

* * *

_April 27, after Karma jumps off the cliff_

I only want to put away some papers so I can start on my travels for the between-school-days period, but Karasuma-sensei is waiting for me in the staff room. Ah, he looks rather unhappy. Not uncommon for him. Hopefully it's nothing to do with me… No, that's rather unlikely. Hopefully nothing that will require him to delay me.

"We need to talk." He says, standing up from his desk. Oh well, so much for that. "About the student who tried to commit suicide earlier today."

In between his words, which wash over me at the rate a glacier flows down a mountainside, I try to think of ways to improve his general mood, because being mad all the time can't be good for his health. Then his sentence fully registers. It takes me a nanosecond to remember what he's talking about. After all, it's been nearly 1.8 quintillion oscillations of yellow light since that happened. Karma-kun. He must have asked Nagisa-kun to inform Karasuma-sensei about the incident. He is certainly the type to not let others fire the final shot, and I did sneak that cat ear headband onto him after I retrieved my money.

Well, how to deal with this. I could throw a histrionic fit and sob, how could I be suspected in such a terrible incident? But no, this is important. Very important. Karasuma-sensei has a true teacher's heart, much to his credit. His concern is not just for appearances, unlike those others who merely playact caring for their students. I must take this seriously and fully put his concerns to rest, so I can fly over to Sydney to see that play.

"You shouldn't be too terribly concerned about that. After all, it was meant to be part of an assassination."

His eyes narrow. "Whether it was part of an assassination is irrelevant. As a result of your so-called maintenance, one of your students was so humiliated that he jumped off a cliff."

Well, if you say it like that it sounds terrible. "His strategy did not take his safety into account. But this did not happen because of any humiliation, and it was not unforeseen. Karma-kun made a calculated move in an attempt to kill me, though his calculations were woefully insufficient." I don't let my mockery show on my face, as Karasuma-sensei will definitely not appreciate it right now. "He thought to force me to slow down to catch him after he jumped, since his body cannot withstand acceleration as mine does. It is true that if his plan had gone as he intended he would have fallen to his death, but I am not so weak a sensei that I would allow that to happen just because he was trying to kill me. In any event, what happened was a matter of 'disregard for one's own life' and not 'suicide' as you have been led to believe."

"And what, exactly, is the difference?" Karasuma-sensei asks, with a twitch in his eye.

Honestly, as a soldier he ought to know. "One is in pursuit of a purpose, the other in pursuit of despair. Karma-kun never lost sight of his goal. He jumped trying to reach that goal, knowing the risks and accepting them, as any assassin must do."

Karasuma-sensei is rubbing the bridge of his nose. He's not so tense now, so he seems to have accepted this argument. He's already starting to adapt to the new paradigm of reasonability I've created here. He'll need that to bring out his full potential as a teacher.

"Maybe… Still, it concerns me that this isn't the first time such a thing has happened. Just a week ago, Nagisa Shiota attempted a suicide bombing against you, isn't that right?"

Ah, Nagisa-kun. He came closer to seriously injuring me than Karma-kun ever did. Though using my molting ability to defend was still mostly for his sake rather than mine, I wonder how it would have gone if he had known about it beforehand. There's a great deal of potential in that one, though in terms of personal growth I think Karma-kun is the one I'm most proud of, now that he should be more concerned about his own life. But Karasuma-sensei isn't done.

"I'm starting to think that this assassination can't go on, if these children are going to be putting their lives on the line for it. We want you to keep teaching them, of course, but I'm going to recommend that the defense ministry cancel the students' part of the contract."

That is unacceptable, and I cannot hide my purple-faced disapproval. I even feel my grin narrowing. "That would be far too hasty, Karasuma-sensei, especially since you have only watched them for a few days."

"And why would you actually want them to try to kill you? For your own amusement?"

"No, no. It is simply key to their growth as people."

This has confused him. "There are other, much more conventional ways to do that."

"It's because you are weak." And now he's shocked. Good, this needs to make an impression. "Humans, that is. You can die from the slightest things." I very pointedly _do not_ think about _that_ time. "This means that the strongest human in the world is not safe from the weakest. Therefore, no matter how high a human rises, they will never truly be above the rest of humankind, and no matter how far a human falls, they will never truly be meaningless in the world." Now to spread my tentacles for dramatic effect. "That is assassination, one of the great fundamental truths of humanity. The weakness of human life, which is also the power of human life. That is what I mean to teach them through this assassination classroom."

Karasuma-sensei is tense again. That means he's really considering it. If he were the type to just give an outburst in response, he would be of no use in raising these children. No, this is a bold man, and a practical one. Even if it doesn't sit well with him, he'll want to take advantage of the resources provided to him to get the job done, and I've given him the excuse he needs.

"You… You really are trying to teach them… In your own preposterous way." He turns away, grabbing his jacket, no doubt unable to believe the words that I know are about to come out of his mouth. "I won't ask the defense ministry to withdraw the hit contract, so long as I think there's a chance it could actually work."

That's right, my preposterous way. I only have one year in which to teach them, and children need to experience more than just school to understand the fullness of life. They need real challenges, real goals, real rewards, and I will give that to them. It's the least I can do, considering.

…Ah, oh no! I got so caught up in soliloquizing that I lost track of time. Sydney, Sydney, I have to get to Sydney! Godooooot!

* * *

** So, here's the first chapter from the perspective of Koro-sensei himself. It won't be the last. Isogai's chapter may be next, or it may be the one after that, but it'll come soon.**

** Koro-sensei… He's pretty tough to write. Silliness pervades his character, and even most of his serious moments are tinted by it. When you're trying to pick apart a character and properly get to understand them, that makes it difficult because people don't usually act like that in real life. By my interpretation, his silliness is basically an extension of his arrogance. He acts in an exaggerated manner because he can. It's like how he said he enjoys everyone targeting him because it's proof that he's strong. The rest is similar. He can pretend to be really afraid or really cowed when he's really only a little, because he's so strong that he can afford to appear weak. Nobody would dare look down on him regardless.**

** Karasuma, I fear I'm not doing him justice. He's appeared twice, and I feel like he's coming across too weak, too contrary, too faithless. He's none of those things, it's just the circumstances… Or maybe I'm just imagining it? I hope so. I like the guy a lot. Maybe he'll be getting a chapter soon, but I wanted to focus on the students first because some people complain they get too little focus compared to the teachers in the manga.**


	6. Isogai: Make the World Go Round

**6. Yuuma Isogai: Make the World Go Round**

* * *

_July 29, after the first term finals, the beginning of summer break_

This is the second most ridiculous day of my life. (If anything ever tops the day I was told that I was suddenly a hitman expected to kill a world-destroying eldritch smiley I may just have to shoot myself.) Several days ago, just minutes after finishing the last of my term finals, Karasuma-sensei pulled me aside to deliver some bad news.

A week before the tests, we had a run-in with Itona Horibe and his handler, which resulted in all of our lives being put in danger when they blew up the outdoor pool Koro-sensei made for us while we were in it. Obviously, we couldn't let that go, so we retaliated and forced them to retreat. Koro-sensei tried to get Itona to join us, but he refused. Smart of him. After what he pulled, he wouldn't have lasted a day with some of the psychos we have in our class. It tires me out, wondering what they're going to get up to next.

Anyway, this is where it gets troublesome. Karasuma-sensei told me that the international council in charge of dealing with the situation with Koro-sensei caught wind of what happened, and they weren't happy… with us. They thought we should have supported Itona, despite the danger his handler put us in, and they ordered Karasuma-sensei to send a member of the class to them to receive a formal reprimand. As I am one of the class representatives, I was the obvious choice.

At least this hearing won't be in front of the council itself. Only several members of the Japanese government and military involved locally. But, according to Karasuma-sensei, they are the ones in charge of the class's contract, including the ten billion yen payment, since the class itself is Japanese. He says, and I agree with him, that they're likely planning to reduce that payment significantly. Possibly as low as one hundred million yen, one percent of what it is now. This can't happen. Not now that we've got a better chance than we've ever had. For the sake of the class, I have to do what I can to prevent this. If I can stop myself from begging for mercy first.

So here I am, in an odd trapezoidal room with television screens on the slanted walls, all off for now. There's no chair for me. The only furniture is the table seating the five officials. They're trying to impress on me the difference in power, and it's working. Karasuma-sensei isn't here. They made him wait outside. But that may be for the best. I'd look even weaker with him standing next to me. I'm wearing leather gloves and a black three-piece suit. Showing up in my school uniform would be like admitting the inequality between us. I'm a hitman, and I want to look the part.

Incidentally, the five guys about to tear into me? They're the Minister of Defense, the minister's special advisor, the Chairman of the Special Committee for Lunar Disaster Response in the House of Councilors, the Minister of Finance (sometimes called the most powerful man in Japan), and the nation's highest ranking military officer, the Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff. And I'm a middle school student.

It bears repeating, this is the second most ridiculous day of my life.

Most of them aren't even paying attention, working on stuff they brought with them. The Minister of Defense is taking his turn to scold me. "…All of this begs the question, just what do you children think is happening here? Has Karasuma done nothing to impress upon you the seriousness of the situation? It is your duty to do whatever it takes…"

I keep my expression steady. I've been raised never to show weakness or signs of injury on my face, though inside I feel incredibly small. They think nothing of me. I'm just some no-name brat to be pushed around. I want to say that Karasuma-sensei has done a lot for us, but they aren't even letting me answer, and I can't bring myself to interrupt.

"…Is this all we should expect from you children? We have tried to provide you with help, but you continuously turn it away. And what results have you produced? None! Yet you dare to turn on your betters and interfere with our best chance at resolving this crisis once and for all…"

My eyes sharpen as I hold his gaze. Our betters? Please. What have these guys managed to do? They criticize us, the ones in the field, but they haven't killed Koro-sensei either. Come to think of it, there isn't anything these guys can do anyway.

"…We didn't want to resort to this, but if your class continues to act like unruly children, we will have to treat you that way. You have not governed yourselves, so we must do it from above…"

I think I'm starting to calm down. I see them for what they are now. Despite their titles, these are just men. They talk about resolving this crisis, but they simply can't manage it. All of this, it's just to feel like they're doing something, even though it's practically meaningless. But it's money they're cutting away from us, and money makes the world go round.

"…Now, is there anything you have to say about this matter before we conclude?"

He expects me to be contrite. Before now, I thought I would be. But I'm not intimidated any more, not by the likes of them. I'm going to go into business when I grow up. It's time I tried out my negotiation skills. First, I have to get their attention, make them take me a bit more seriously.

"Your assessment of our performance, I reject entirely." Dead silence. A couple who were distracted are now focused on me. "It was not us who made this working relationship an adversarial one, it was you."

The Minister of Defense's special advisor rises from his chair furiously. He is very old and horse-faced, but as I recall from the news, he is a military man chosen for his post because of his decades of experience. Imagine that, my top-class social studies knowledge is coming in handy.

"How dare you say such insolent things! Know your place!"

I want to sigh. I can't believe a line like that has been directed at me. Still, I've got a handle on his personality. He's conservative, a lot like my family, probably a strong opponent of our involvement on any level. Seeking help outside the regular military, employing hitmen, and such young ones at that, must rankle him. I can't sway him to be truly on our side, but I have a plan forming.

"My place, my role, is as your contractor. It is unacceptable for you to treat us the way you do."

The Chairman of the SCLDR, another old, balding man with hair too black to be natural, leans forward. "Can you really say that, when you have rejected all of our efforts in this matter? Efforts that were meant to help you as well. You repeatedly hindered the other assassins we hired, restrained the artillery platform we provided, rejected the trainer we sent for you, and directly, purposefully opposed the only one who could match the target. You aren't making this any easier, young man."

_"The Chairman of the Special Committee for Lunar Disaster Response is well known for his drive to truly serve the people and help the country recover from any disasters that befall it. For every major disaster of the past thirty years, he's raised funds globally to help repair the damage. He's been around for a long time, and is as wily a politician as any, but my impression has always been that his goodness is legitimate. If you have one ally in that room, it will probably be him."_

Karasuma-sensei spent the whole ride over here giving me advice on how to handle these guys. I know all about this guy, of course, but I might not have believed he could be as great as he's supposed to be without that endorsement. In that case…

I lower my head just a bit, for a moment allowing myself to look my age. I really, really don't like doing this, no matter the purpose. That's why I don't consider myself one of the better assassins in our class, no matter how good my fighting skills are. I hate to lower myself. "Sir, respectfully, we're still months away from the deadline. Are you already so desperate that you think you need to use tactics that might kill us as well as the target? Those guys blew up a pool we were swimming in. We got swept away into dangerously rocky terrain, and there was even a cliff."

I try not to lay it on too thick, and it seems to have the effect I want. The Chairman sits back and brings a hand up to his mouth, looking troubled. Was he actually kept in the dark about that? Or did he blind himself to the human element until it stared him in the face? Anyway, if I can keep convincing these guys, I may just get away with this.

The Minister of Finance pipes up. He's a mousy man with a tight face, but a loose grip on the nation's money. A strong believer in investment in public works and easy, low-interest loans. "But your behavior is a danger to the entire world. A monetary penalty is the only way we have to communicate that to you. Considering the severity of your interference, we'd intervene more directly if you weren't under the protection of that monster."

I see an opening to make an important point, and jump in before he can continue. "And why do you think he protects us? Because it amuses him. He's a monster, like you said. He enjoys our ineffectual attempts to kill him. That's the point of all of this. It's fun for him. So if you do anything to reduce our motivation as assassins, or continue to interfere with us in the ways that you have, do you really think he'll just let it go? The truth is, he interferes with them far more than we ever have. And if you do something irreversible, there's no telling how he'll respond."

A lot of this is stretching the truth, but it matches what they believe about him. The Minister of Defense seems rather uncomfortable right now. My impressions of him were right on. Members of the cabinet are required to be civilians, and this man has not served a day in the military. He's a politician through and through, the type quick to heap blame onto others to bolster his meager personal strength. My comment was meant for him, to unsettle him and make him rethink his intentions. However…

_"You have to watch yourself around the Minister of Finance. He looks at this as just another line item. He's loose with money, but only up to a point, and his vision is far too narrow. His only concern is return on investment, and if class E can't provide a return by saving the world then you're worthless to him."_

According to Karasuma-sensei told me, this kind of argument won't work on the Minister of Finance it was directed at. I'll have to come up with something else for him.

Next, to steer the conversation towards the topic of our capability. "As far as Autonomously Thinking Fixed Artillery-san is concerned, our issues have been resolved and we consider her one of us. The same is not true of the other assassins you have sent. Yes, we have interfered with them, because they have interfered with us." I actually can't think of a single case outside of Ritsu-san and Itona that we've worked against an outside assassin, but there's no ground to be gained arguing that against these guys. "If they were the ones to complete the contract, we would be left with nothing. That's why we agreed to split the contract money between us, but outsiders are not part of that agreement." Again, I'm stretching the truth, but sharing the reward has been tacitly agreed to for a while now.

The inelegantly-titled Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff takes the obvious bait. He's direct, blunt and has that certain practical earnestness you sometimes see in people who are confident enough not to need to boast, like Karasuma-sensei. He's the most intimidating of the bunch, but at least he looks directly at me instead of down at me. "You presume that one of you will be able to eliminate that monster at some point, when you haven't made any progress towards that goal at all."

I could tell him that we've gotten Koro-sensei to agree to let us blow off seven of his tentacles, but I don't want them to get in the way of our plan when we take advantage of it. That's okay, I have a different argument to make. "If you see us as worthless, then it doesn't matter what you do with our payment, because we'd never be able to collect it anyway. In that case, keeping the target happy and entertained is the most important concern, and you should at least not reduce it for that reason." The special advisor is nodding slowly. This is the same argument I used before, but framed differently, in terms of our weakness and without the threat. It seems to have gotten through to the old, but experienced man who looks down on us so much. Now, let's see if I can convince the Chief of Staff himself.

_"He's everything you would expect of the country's highest ranking military officer. He doesn't like using children on principle, but if you can convince him of your ability he'll give you a fair chance."_

So, just like Karasuma-sensei. I need to show our strength now.

"We may not have made visible progress, but this is an assassination, not a military campaign. He's alive only because we haven't killed him yet. It is that simple. But what we have done is observe. We have a lot of information about his abilities, and just as importantly, his personality. His tastes, his priorities, his attitudes, his instincts. It's already been very well established that no amount of power will overcome this target, but he can be predicted and manipulated. Fighting smart is the only way to save the world."

No reaction. This guy is too controlled. I hope I appear the same to them. My palms are sweaty in my gloves. Unfortunately, the special advisor isn't so stoic. He looks pretty angry.

"If you have such information, you should hand it over to us at once. It is ten years to early for you to know how to make proper use of it."

Again with the lines. This is going to look bad, but getting out of this will require a calculated response.

I smirk a bit and tilt my head. "Is that why you people have been keeping so much information from us? Well, maybe we'll sell what we know to you, but it won't be cheap."

The cocky act disgusts him, and he looks away from me at the Chief of Staff. Not at either of the ministers. That's good. They're the ones who would handle that kind of purchase, not the military. He should be disregarding any information we have as meaningless. The feeling I'm getting is that I've swayed the Chief of Staff as well with my previous point, so it's only the Minister of Finance left. And conveniently…

"Hmph. Compared to how much you expect us to pay you for killing that thing, how valuable can your information possibly be?" The Minister of Finance says, crossing his arms.

I give him a look. I can't compare to Nagisa in terms of killing intent, but I'm no slouch. Time to put some fear in him. "Just by looking at someone, I can learn all kinds of useful information. Looking at the way you hold yourself, I can see that you have no combat training at all. You aren't attentive to your surroundings, easy to ambush either from the side, above, or behind. I can use the brands and styles of accessories and clothing you wear to predict where you might go when shopping. You're very well kept, suggesting you have a domestic staff, which provides an opening for infiltration. You wear a wedding ring, you have a wife who may be taken hostage, and given your age, probably also a child or two. Should I go on?"

Hopefully, he won't ask that. I've got nothing else to say. Well, he looks pretty cowed, so no problem there.

* * *

The Minister of Defense looks back and forth at his group, a bit flabbergasted. "Well, it seems clear what direction this is going. I can only hope that our verbal warning will be enough to prevent future problems. I believe that was all we had to discuss." He says, so obviously trying to save face. The others are already starting to pack up.

I gulp, barely able to believe I managed to pull that off. Now, dare I go for broke? "Not quite." …Oh man, I just said that. Yes, I dare.

The Minister of Defense blinks at me in irritation, but the only other one who seems to take notice is the Chief of Staff. "Well, what is it?" He asks, sounding too tired for how long we've been at this. I'm feeling incredibly energized.

Taking a deep breath, I drop the bomb. "Considering how much more dangerous you have made this contract with your actions, at this time we feel the need to renegotiate the terms. Specifically, our price is now fifty billion yen."

The Minister of Defense pales. The special advisor turns red. The Chief of Staff raises an eyebrow. The Minister of Finance recoils. The Chairman squirms.

I feel strong.

I've already identified their characters, and laid down the groundwork. Now…

* * *

An hour later, I walk out of the room, radiating poise. Karasuma-sensei stands from a comfortable-looking chair. He waited for me the whole time.

"How did it go?" He asks urgently, almost wildly.

I sit down hard, putting a hand to my chest with a heaving sigh. "That was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. Final tests are nothing compared to that." I look up to him with a little smile.

He closes his eyes and smiles back in relief. I don't hide the happy grin his concern gives me.

"So, has anything changed? I don't want to have to tell everyone their payment has gone down."

I get comfortable, throwing an arm over the back of the chair. "Well, there was a small change to our payment. The reward for killing Koro-sensei is now… one hundred _billion_ yen."

* * *

**Yuuma Isogai. Two things stand out about him for me. First, he tries not to show when he's feeling weak or unsure. When he's taken a loss, like during the midterms, he doesn't look completely stoic, but he's much more contained than Nagisa or some of the others. Other than that, though, he's not a very good actor. Second, he often has this long-suffering air about him. He's not quite as adapted to the absurdity flying around him at all times as some of the others are, but he still goes along with it, often with a sigh and an expression that shows he's fully aware of how ridiculous it all is. Somehow, that makes things seem more awesome than they would otherwise be. Oh, also, as I mentioned a few chapters back, I think he's the most likely person in class E to be gay. Because reasons. Which I'm still not going to elaborate upon.**


	7. Karma: Anti-Dharma

**7. Karma Akabane: Anti-Dharma**

* * *

_October 4, 2011, during their first year at Kunugigaoka_

I get a kick out of being heroic, out of being the one to step up and solve problems, preferably with violence. Or exposing bad behavior to the public. And this place is just overflowing with opportunity. It's a natural product of how the school is set up, so there's no helping it, right? Sure, some of the old guys may complain from time to time, but…

_"Bullying is suuuch a terrible thing. After all, kids kill themselves over it sometimes. Oh, but I'm sure you were just about to do something about that incident, right? Sorry for going ahead of you. But taking too long is a risk, right? If it got out to the public how much it happens around here, this oooh so prestigious top-level school, that would be just aaawful."_

So a few guys get sent to the hospital every now and then with bad cases of "tripping and falling down some stairs". So people feel the need to condemn what I do. What matters is that I do it. And my classmates don't condemn me nearly as much as they pretend. They can't, not in their hearts, because I'm doing something about it. I'm Karma, the bad thing that happens to bad people. Other people can have their hand-wringing moral high ground, and their dull and cliched political correctness. I make sure those bullies know that they aren't as strong as they'd like to believe. After I make things clear to them, I can see them visibly think twice about trying anything again. It works, and I love it. If it doesn't work, I love it more. It's boring when they give up too easily, but even among the upperclassmen, I can count on one hand the number who might be a challenge, and most of them aren't the bullying type. They're not the do-something-about-it type or the enjoy-it type either, so they don't interest me at all.

To be honest… even the thrill of succeeding where the pantywaists haven't is growing thin. I've only been doing this for a couple months, but the novelty is already wearing off. Fighting is fun, but this whole fighting bullies for great justice act is kinda constricting. I've made my point, so maybe this is enough. But what else could I do? It'd be great if I could become a hitman, or something, but in this peaceful country full of quiet misery, I'm not likely to get a chance. Killing for money, getting to know what the exact value of a life is, that sounds perfect for me.

But even as I think this, walking down a back path between the various school buildings, my ears detect sounds of a scuffle. A grin spreads across my face. Honestly, the behaviors this school's system promotes keep coming up like clockwork. As immutable as the phases of the moon. Good thing for someone that I'm not totally bored just yet.

None of the three boys notice me as I take a stand some meters away. Two big ones cornering a little one against a wall. It takes me a moment to be sure whether the little one is a boy or a girl with that hairstyle. And he's so small. An elementary student? No, I recognize all three of them from my class. The little one is looking down and away from the fist grabbing his shirt.

"When I tell you to go buy me lunch, you think you can just not do it?" One of the bullies yells, uncreatively. He smacks the little kid across the face. Pfft, that blow didn't even draw blood. Pathetic.

Now that I've seen them strike first, I start to step in, but something stops me. The small one, Shiota, I think, is looking up now. His cheek is reddening, and yet he's looking the bully in the eye.

The moron's getting pissed off. "Hey, you gonna say anything, shortie? 'Cuz it better be the right thing. I'm not taking no for an answer." With his free hand he reaches into a pocket and pulls out a switchblade. He holds the blade up to Shiota's jaw, rather than anywhere actually dangerous like his neck.

I should be more concerned, I should be over there now beating the shit out of those two, but this is just too fascinating. Shiota is glaring at him, but it's an emotionless glare, like the guy is meaningless to him. He looked like some helpless damsel earlier, but the greater the threat he's faced with, the harder he seems to become.

Just from his eyes, the bullies are becoming unnerved. Hell, so am I. This is flying in the face of how things are supposed to be. The knife wavers. Eventually, the other one grabs his friend's arm and tells him he thinks they should just forget it. Apparently he agrees, because the weapon gets put away.

"This isn't over, Shiota. We'll talk later." Is his unbearably lame attempt to save face. The two bullies turn away, and finally notice me.

Moron 1 goes for his knife again. Not a bad reaction time, but still too slow, because Shiota's grabbed his arm before it can make it into his pocket. Somehow this manages to distract both of them long enough for me to close the distance.

Unlike my usual way, I don't pay much attention to the fight. The two are down in under half a minute, and I don't take the time to enjoy it. All I'm thinking about is interesting, interesting, interesting. Shiota spent the whole fight clinging to that bully's arm, but didn't get hit again. Seems like he knew exactly what he needed to do.

He and I are facing each other with very different looks of curiosity. He's nervous now for some reason, but not awed by my strength like most are. How cute, he's shy. Whatever that was before, there's no sign of it now. But that's even better. I feel like he could be my ally, or perhaps my bait. Either way, I got to see something really interesting today. Suddenly, I'm not bored at all.

Seeing that he's not the type to make the first move, I extend my hand to him. "Feels like we're meeting for the first time. Karma Akabane, nice to meet you."

He looks at my hand and hesitates for a moment before taking it. "I'm Nagisa Shiota. Thank you for the help, Karma-kun." He says with a friendly smile.

I return the smile with real happiness, and not a hint of violent intent. So he thinks I helped him? It may be more the other way around. He seemed to be doing just fine. Just what might we be able to do together? What other interesting people might we find? It's rare for me, but I don't know. I can tell, though, that this is the start of a beautiful friendship, one destined to shatter the rules.

* * *

**That 2011 up there? I'm operating under the assumption that the year Koro-sensei teaches class 3-E is the 2013-2014 school year. You may be wondering why not the year before that, after all the manga was first published in 2012. Well, the manga only specifies a few dates, and one of them, July 1, fell on a Sunday in 2012, when in the manga it was a school day. And yes, I really do pay attention to that level of pedantic detail when writing.**

** I totally didn't write this because reviewers asked for it. After all, I write these weeks in advance. Actually, no, those are both lies. I write these at most an hour before I post them.**

** This is how I imagine Karma and Nagisa becoming friends. They're an odd pair, to be sure. Before you learn about Nagisa's own prodigious assassination skills, you'd think they couldn't be more different. And they're not even different in an iconic way, like the red oni-blue oni trope. But more important is the nature of their friendship. Given their relative strengths and Karma's bully hunting hobby, you'd think their relationship would be a protective one, but this is not the case. They interact with each other as equals, and this chapter explains how I think that came to be.**

** And yeah, I had Nagisa's talents manifest even before he received any training as an assassin. Considering what he was capable of, even in the first chapter, I figure it makes sense that it didn't just show up one day.**

** Finally, it may seem odd, but it seems to me that there is a class E only for the third years. We certainly see no evidence of lower classes, and it would be really hard to hide what class 3-E does from them if they did exist. But considering the Kunugigaoka system openly promotes bullying, it figures that lower years would pick on their own classmates instead.**


	8. Megu: Coptotermes

**8. Megu Kataoka: Coptotermes**

* * *

_July 15, a few days before the first term finals_

"Have any more of the anti-sensei knives gone missing from the surplus armory?"

"A couple, yeah. I don't know why whoever it is doesn't just ask. The stock is there for all of us, we just want to keep track of who's taking what. We don't have time to track it down right now, either."

Isogai sighs wearily as we trek down the shadeless dirt path towards the main school. I know how he feels. We've just finished with Koro-sensei's after-school cram session, which only ends because he takes time to tutor some of us individually by flying us around the world to experience things first hand. Both of us will continue our studies at home. On top of all this are our duties as class representatives. Keeping order in a class like this would be difficult normally, but with our current extracurricular activities it becomes an exercise in futility.

"Are you sure about asking Sugaya-kun to spy on the main school? His scores will suffer from the time he's missed in class." I ask with disapproval.

"He's still working hard, but yeah, he's taking one for the team. We've got way too much on the line to not win here." He rubs the back of his neck a bit guiltily.

Sousuke Sugaya, our budding disguise expert, is even now infiltrating the main school, watching for signs of trickery like what tripped us up during the mid terms. Students of class E aren't even allowed in the main building unless they have specific business there. His only support is Takebayashi, who also has his own studies to worry about, and even then only by remote over hidden two-way radios provided by the Ministry of Defense.

I can't help him on his mission. There are others far better suited to do that. So, my first instinct is to offer to tutor him myself. But I can't do that. The most valuable lesson Koro-sensei taught me was that sometimes I have to make myself my first priority, and let others do what they can for themselves. I feel terrible about going along with a plan that will weaken Sugaya's position, but the assassination is more important. And though it pains me, if I'm being honest I have to say he's not going to be able to take any of the top spots in the five subjects. Then again, perhaps I won't either. I'll be competing with Kanzaki for the top rank in Japanese, but I probably won't beat her, and I have no delusions about getting the top composite score against Gakushuu Asano, even if I did get the top score among the girls in our class during the midterms.

"What do you think the result will be after all this?" My thoughts lead me to ask. "With the depth of Okuda-san's understanding of science, I can't imagine how she won't succeed. And your astounding ability to remember even the most obscure civics trivia will absolutely win us that subject as well." I enjoy the way Isogai tries to stoically contain his half-embarrassment, half-preening from the compliment. It's adorable.

"Well… Either you or Kanzaki-san could take Japanese, and Nakamura-san has a good chance in English… Possibly Nagisa too, in case she slips. It'll be tough. Those are both toss-ups, and as for math…"

We both look down. Math. Considering Gakushuu Asano's intelligence and consistency, nothing less than a perfect score will suffice. Okuda might have a chance, but she might instead trip over the story problems. The only one who we might have been able to rely on is Karma. He's also the only one who could realistically have gotten the top composite score. He just isn't putting in the effort, and it's leaving us all in a tight spot. Isogai's thoughts match mine. This bet we've gotten into with class A is going to be close, not to mention the deal with Koro-sensei.

"Should we… be doing something more to motivate him?" I feel like we should, but is this one of those situations where it would be better for Karma to realize his mistake on his own? And can we even do anything about him that Koro-sensei could not?

"No." Isogai says, more strongly than is usual for him. "He would never have fallen into class E normally. We shouldn't have to rely on such an unreliable person."

"You don't like him?" I wonder aloud. He's usually so affable with everyone it starts to grate. Isogai blushes and turns away. Odd. What's that about? "You know, I only fell into class E because I spent too much time tutoring other students." Really, only one student in particular, who I really don't want to think about anymore. "But I know your grades must have been just as good as mine originally were, so how did you end up here?"

He doesn't look at me and doesn't answer for a long time. "I don't want to talk about it." He finally says.

Again I want to reach out and support one of my friends, but again I hesitate. I shouldn't pry. It's obviously a sensitive subject for him, but he seems to be fine most of the time. I'll leave it be until he's ready. Yet I feel slightly disturbed. This is the third time I've held back, and I fear forming a new bad habit, almost as much as I fear going back to my old one. I don't know what to do, and I don't want to depend on anyone else to fix this either. It has to be me. Just so long as I can… take a risk… next time.

* * *

**The person who was taking stuff from the surplus armory was Taiga Okajima, because he didn't think the class reps would approve of his smut mag net trap.**

** Megu is a great person. Intelligent, athletic, driven, and compassionate literally to a fault. At this point she is trying to learn balance in her compassion, so she doesn't end up losing out because of it. But what I have her thinking and doing in this chapter is not necessarily the proper path for her, either as an individual or as a class representative. She hasn't found the right balance yet, because obviously it's not an easy thing to do. Just in general it's not good to flinch away from doing helpful things if they've gone wrong for you in the past, nor should you not make at least a symbolic effort if it seems things will turn out the same way regardless, nor should you ever, ever rationalize your inaction.**


	9. Nagisa: Entelechy

**9. Nagisa Shiota: Entelechy**

* * *

_August 4, before the island resort assassination_

In the back of a plain white car I stare at my hands, replaying and reanalyzing the last few days in my mind. Wondering if I should have done anything different. Karasuma-sensei thought so. He was completely opposed to **this**, and…

_"I can't help but think your offer of free planning aid has an ulterior motive, Lovro-san."_

Yes, Lovro the hitman dealer, now our temporary marksmanship instructor, helping us out with **this** for no charge came as a surprise. Well, not a big surprise when I thought about it. Obviously, he's interested in our skills. He pushed me to… Or did he? Wasn't it more like he backed me up? I never asked for **this**, but deep down, didn't I know that to have the best chance at my real goal, I had to know what **this** was like? And didn't I also want Karasuma-sensei to acknowledge me again?

Someone was going to, right? Karasuma-sensei came to us during our summer break training and told us. The Ministry of Justice wanted **this**. Some minor crime boss, who suddenly became very aggressive, and started gaining large amounts of influence. They didn't have the evidence to bring him down, but for the good of the public (and their reputation?) they decided they couldn't let his expansion go unchecked, so they turned to **this** instead. To us. Just like with Akira Takaoka, I was the top pick to do **it**.

_"The danger to you personally will be extreme, and from the time of your infiltration until the job is done, there will be no easy exit opportunities should things go wrong."_

_"But that is quite often the case in real world situations. The resilience and guile needed to correct for problems can only be discovered and honed with experience. No amount of instruction will give it to you."_

_"Even still, the emotional stress could take a severe toll on you as well. You can't take this lightly."_

The crime boss… I can't think of his name right now… is very paranoid, with no exploitable patterns to his movements. Inserting a regular assassin into his immediate circle would take a long time. But he does have one weakness. Young girls, particularly light-haired ones, but only Japanese. And I can pass for such a girl. With help. Like, make-up, and some prosthetics. I don't look that girlish normally. I don't. But now, yeah, I have to admit I'm more womanly than Kaede. Ugh. When the others saw it…

_"Ohoh, wow, Nagisa. You look good enough to kiss."_

_ "Karma-kun! Don't go doing random weird things to him!"_

_ "Aw, afraid he'll pick me over you, Kayano-san? I can see why. Between you and me, I think I've got the larger breasts."_

_"!%&*#%!"_

Karma, he really is shameless, though fortunately he didn't get the chance to actually kiss me. He was too busy fending off Kaede. But I could use some of that shamelessness for myself right about now.

The plan is for me to be brought to the target by an undercover cop, who will be extracted while I perform my **task**. The mission area will be a large traditional house, complete with outer walls and only one entrance. But there is an emergency exit tunnel, unguarded at either end, that will be my escape route. The informant will give me its location, and once I'm through I'll activate a transmitter in my anklet, then move to an out of the way, hidden space and wait for a drive-by pickup. I've also been asked to take any documents that may be laying around in easy reach. The Ministry of Justice wants to know if this guy is being backed by anyone.

But that's not right, is it? All of **that** has already happened.

Looking back, **it** was surprisingly boring, despite the incredible adrenaline rushing through me. The insertion went off without a hitch. The target's paranoia apparently didn't rub off on his men. I was taken straight to a bedroom, with only a single futon for furniture, and I never saw a single document or letter of any kind. He came in, and I got to make use of a gift from Bitch-sensei. A set of fake fingernails, sharp enough to…

_He touched my sides, and I gave him a fake little giggle. Reaching up as if to caress his neck, I licked my lips and…_

I had to move to the side to keep from getting blood all over myself, though it hardly would have mattered. He forbade anyone from being in that part of the house while he engaged in his activities. I was able to easily sneak into his office next door, where amazingly he still had all his papers locked up, and I had no time to search for keys at that point. I went straight into the hatch in the floor under his desk, and right out onto the street beyond the back wall.

It's done, it went perfectly. There's no point in going over it again. No point in disgusting myself all over again. But something's wrong. There's literally blood on my hands, and yet…

_"Don't think of it as ending a life. Think of it as ending an ambition. We do not add to violence, we reduce it, because solving a conflict quickly is often better than allowing it to go on just so you can solve it morally. And in my experience, there is no problem that cannot be solved by killing the right person in the right way."_

Lovro-san's advice… I can accept. He'd be proud of the **job** I did. Nobody will recognize my true face, **it** was quick and practically silent, leaving no definitive evidence, and I didn't have to deal with anyone other than the target. I didn't accomplish my secondary goal, but if the police hit the place and claim the guy's files as evidence in a murder investigation it should still be fine.

And yet I feel sick, and ashamed. Not because I killed a man, but because I killed a man and felt nothing more than a little thrill. Just enough to make me smile a bit, that's all. I start to breath harder, clenching my fists. Is this really okay? How can it be? When did I become like this, and why? Am I evil? A psychopath? Is this part of why my parents won't look at me?

We reach our destination, and I get out of the car immediately, almost in a panic. Lovro-san is waiting for me. Perhaps he has been for a long time.

"I've heard about how it went already. Well done. Whatever you're feeling, know that it will pass, but the pride in your skills and accomplishments will last for the rest of your life. You have a future in this business, a future I'd like to discuss."

Just that small encouragement is all it takes.

My name is Nagisa Shiota. Third year, class E at Kunugigaoka middle school. Pretty good at English, bad at science. I am a hitman. And I feel fine.

* * *

**Ooof. This chapter feels really sleazy. That's really the point, but yeesh.**

** Other characters before this point have recognized Nagisa's incredible killing intent, but only now is he himself realizing it and what it means. For some unknown reason, he's a mostly mild-mannered boy who just has no problem with violence, and even killing.**

** Lovro is manipulating Nagisa, telling him what he needs to hear to draw him into the world of hitmen. Real pro hitmen don't care about accomplishments or principles. Their professionalism dictates that they don't care about anything except their performance and their payment. Getting attached to a side means inviting disaster. In particular, it means creating a connection between the hitman and the cause, which could lead to their being apprehended. But Nagisa is detached enough that he's in no danger of that, even if he might not seem that way at first. As he grows more fully into his role as a hitman, he'll learn to accept that the job is just a matter of money as well.**

**Karma is not gay for Nagisa. I can cite specific canonical evidence for it. He's just a troll, and completely unfettered by social conventions.**


	10. Karasuma: They Grow Up So Fast

**10. Tadaomi Karasuma: They Grow Up So Fast**

* * *

_August 4, after Nagisa's first real assassination_

"Thank you for all your hard work. Dismissed."

I barely manage to keep my voice neutral, but Nagisa doesn't seem to notice. That's no surprise after what he's done today. He's clearly shaken. Hardly in the state of mind to make his usual observations. He bows tensely and quickly turns to leave the dimly-lit makeshift office that we've set up in a suburban safehouse. No part of this matter can come anywhere near any official government facility.

One of my students has become a killer. The skills that were meant to save the world have been turned on a petty criminal. That friendly, positive innocence has been tainted forever, in a wildly illegal act made solely for the sake of convenience. It's sickening. I feel like this never should have happened at all.

"I am not happy about this." I say, almost to nobody, but there happens to be a man leaning smugly against the wall next to the door.

Lovro shrugs. "There's no reason for that. The order came down from above you, and he accepted the contract of his own free will. You're completely in the clear."

The last of my control snaps and I'm on my feet in an instant. "It has nothing to do with me! This operation should never have been conceived of!"

"And just what are you afraid of? Perhaps that your government, which previously had no contacts in the world of hitmen, will become addicted to their use?"

I honestly can't find it in myself to care about the government at the moment. My concern is my students. Though they haven't seen much of it, I have always fought to ensure that they would not become like the child soldiers of some African dictator. If only Nagisa has just said no when I offered the job to him. I couldn't believe it. He barely seemed to even consider it before accepting.

"You know what I'm talking about. He's only 15. Far too young to have the mental fortitude to deal with something like this."

"The results he got would seem to disagree with you. Perhaps you are projecting your own feelings onto him. He handled it far better than you seem to think." Lovro says coolly. "Irina was even younger, just 12, when she first killed someone, and she turned out…" He looked away, face hardened with annoyance. "More or less sane." He pushed off the wall and approached my desk, clasping his hands behind his back. "Perhaps the real problem is that you underestimate that one's talent. But I can see it. He was born for this."

I bristle at the implication that he knows my students better than I do, and I imagine him pulling a weapon out from behind his back so I'd have an excuse to break his arm. But a part of me knows that he could be right, about Nagisa if nobody else. Frankly, I'm frightened sometimes by what he's shown himself to be capable of. Even though I feel particularly protective of him because he's so unassuming, that just makes his abilities even more disturbing.

Doubt has restored my control, so I hold my tongue as Lovro continues almost wistfully. "I suspect he instinctively knows that because he lacks the strength to defeat most others in a fight, he must use lethal force to win. It's a killer instinct the likes of which I have rarely seen. If you can't see it, then you don't give them enough credit. Even as you train them, you look at them as children first and assassins second." He slams a palm down on the desk, meeting my glare with one of his own. "Do you really think you can train them to kill that planet-destroying abomination with such a feckless attitude? Without even trusting them to be able grow along their own paths, in ways you can't predict? You cannot create world-class assassins with the same mass-production methods as soldiers."

"I'm trying to get them through this so they can grow to be upstanding members of society, not murderers!" I declare. The world is not so weak that they have to be ruined to save it.

"And why should they want that?" Lovro snaps, spreading his arms. "They have something unique here. They're capable of so much more than being mere 'upstanding members of society'." He says contemptuously. "There are so few outstanding young assassin candidates native to first world countries."

"You will not drag them into your world." If there is anything I absolutely won't allow, it's that.

"…No, I won't." Folding his hands behind his back again, he turns and moves to leave. "I won't have to. When the time comes, I'll just ask. I wonder how many of them, who have been treated like filth by the social order, will say yes." He pauses in the door frame, and I can feel an ultimatum coming. "They need to be molded properly, into true professional hitmen who never let personal feelings interfere with their work. If they aren't, what do you think they'll do with their skills after they graduate?" Finally, he was gone.

Now that I'm alone, I sit down and fold my hands together on the desk, trying to remember myself. What I want, first and foremost, is to ensure the safety of the world, of course. But I've always kept that goal in balance with the physical and mental well being of the students… Though sometimes not as successfully as I would like. It's true that I've been teaching them like soldiers, even as I regard them like children. It's contradictory. Because of their training, they've gained confidence, and grown much faster than I expected. I'm used to actual soldiers, who are already adults. The growth of my current students is different, and I'm starting to see how much it's gotten away from me.

Lovro was definitely right about one thing. I can't risk them misusing their skills once this assassination is over, and considering Nagisa, I can't discount any of them. But I'm ultimately a military man. They're sharp enough to spot the hypocrisy of me telling them to choose civilian life. There isn't much more I can do to keep them on the proper path. I may just have to compromise and teach them not to get personally invested. So long as they don't go off killing for their own purposes, that may be the best I can hope for, as repulsive as the thought is. Which is exactly what Lovro wants. I want to hate him for backing me into a corner like that, but the truth is I got here all by myself. It's a consequence of training my students seriously instead of only fulfilling the letter of the agreement with the target. This situation is of our own making, and I may be the only one who cares enough to see it set right.

Fine. As hard as it may be, I will make no excuses. I accept the all of the responsibility, because whether they know it or not, my students are counting on me. I absolutely will not lose them to their own talents.

* * *

**This is a direct follow-up to the previous chapter, since I felt it really merited it considering the game-changer it represented. This, along with Isogai's chapter, is when I'm starting to get into AU territory, but for the moment I consider this story to still be essentially compatible with canon. Of course, that won't last forever, but I'll keep up the pretense as much as I can.**

**Karasuma really is an interesting guy, and an excellent teacher. Despite the stakes involved, he keeps his morals intact and treats his students right. His expectations are high (he seems to really expect of the students to pull off the impossible), but fair, and he doesn't lose sight of the fact that class 3-E was essentially drafted. They didn't volunteer, so he doesn't ask as much of them as, for example, Takaoka did before he was summarily deposed. Really, he and Koro-sensei have a lot in common, as much as he'd hate the comparison.**


	11. Rio: You Only Assassinate Once

**11. Rio Nakamura: You Only Assassinate Once**

* * *

_April 11, a few days after the start of the school year_

Ugh, you have got to be kidding.

Walking into the classroom, you'd think someone had died. Nope. Not yet. Everyone's working on the guns they picked out on the first day of school, looking them over like the answer to all life's questions are written on them, but in… hieroglyphs, or something. Totally lost. I'm a little sick of this. Yeah, we're now the cast of some crazy manga story, do they have to be so weirded out about it? Plus, we've done the firing squad thing on the sensei every morning, and never hit him once, so now they're totally bummed to boot.

"Morning, Mimura-kun, Nagisa-kun." I chirp at the two standing next to their desks on either side of mine.

"Good morning, Nakamura-san." Nagisa smiles back glumly, while Mimura kinda grunts.

I sigh heavily. "Another rainy day in here, I see."

"Ah, yeah, kinda… It's a little… You know." He rubs his neck bashfully. He knows this whole thing sucks, but there's nothing he can do about it, so he just turns around and bends over to reach into his desk for a magazine. Of the ammo-holding type.

Someday, when he least expects it, I'm gonna slap that cute ass of his.

But right now, I've got something better to do. I take a knife out from under my skirt and climb up, one foot on my chair, the other on my desk.

"YEEEEAAAAAAH!" I yell to the ceiling, craning my head back and pointing the butt of the knife at my mouth like a microphone. That's shocked them, enough that I hear a gunshot and a surprised curse from someone. Whatever, the BBs won't hurt us anyway.

Switching to English just because, I bring my message to them. "Wake up, class E! It's time to get your assassination on, YEAH! Can't see a bullseye in the rain, so bring on the SUUUUN!" I reach up, towards the fluorescent lights. "You only live once, so live to the max!" Jumping up to crouch on the desk and deepening my voice… "You only assassinate once…" I jump up and shout. "So make it the killing of a lifetime!"

I spread my arms and look around at my stunned classmates. Hayami-san, who sits behind me, glares with hilarious annoyance. A chair scrapes along the floor loudly, and Sugino is on his feet next to her.

"I didn't get half of that, but damn am I fired up!"

Everyone laughs, and suddenly the gloomy atmosphere is gone. I glance at Nagisa, who's fallen into, and half out of, his chair, but he still gives a confident nod. Yep, I knew that was just the thing they needed to shake them out of their funk. Don't get down, the world's still such a positive place. Now, let's go kill our teacher.

We still fail to get any hits today, but at least the octopus compliments us on our strengthened intent.

* * *

**Not a particularly long, detailed, or deep chapter. I wasn't really in a writing mood this past week.**

** Rio Nakamura… What can I say about her, except that she seems like a lot of fun to be around? She's unrestrained. Does things her own way and doesn't care what other people think about it, but without the attitude that people should acknowledge her as she is or else hit the road. She likes to preen, but doesn't crave attention. Strangely, she may be one of the more well balanced students in class E.**


	12. Maehara: My Heart Will Move On

**12. Hiroto Maehara: My Heart Will Move On**

* * *

_June 2, during the retaliation against Seo and Kaho_

Okay, I'm grinning like an idiot, but this is just so badass. Yuuma, Okano-san and I are hiding up in the leaves of a tree, cloaked by hooded raincoats. In a few moments, we're going to ambush a pair of targets by dropping branches on them, as part of a revenge plot for besmirching the honor of… well, me. The point is, I legit feel like a ninja. Way cooler than being an assassin.

This is the first time we've done anything like this, a mission, but Yuuma's done really well organizing everything with Koro-sensei. Recon, op planning, logistics, and it all came together in a single day, plus he's right here next to me, since he's the best in the class at knife work. …Honestly, the guy's my best friend, but sometimes even I get a little pissed off at how perfect he is.

Well, except for the thing that landed him in class E. The thing he hasn't told any of our classmates about yet.

But never mind that. Our targets are in sight.

"Ooh, here they come, right on time." I say, crouching carefully on the wet branch. Amazing how much your balance can improve if you just work at it. "They've got a lot of pride, after all." I mock. "They'd never even think about asking to use the bathroom in one of these private houses."

"Well then, shall we knock that pride down a few pegs?" Yuuma says behind me. Bro, work on your one-liners.

I raise my blade – closer to a machete than a combat knife – but I suddenly hesitate. I look at Kaho, my ex-girlfriend. People say that I switch them up too often, but I liked her. I liked all of them. Their smiles, the way they laugh. I guess it's superficial stuff, but we had fun too. Now she's suffering because of me. It's not so easy to tell myself she deserves it.

I'm not smiling anymore as I swing, and with a heavy thwack a branch drops, dead on target. Okano snickers a bit, but we try to keep quiet until they get up and pass us by. Kaho is screeching, scrambling around to get out of the leaves. Her face is contorted, like some demon woman, as she tries to beat a caterpillar off her clothes without touching it. With the way she looks so different, it hits me what a witch she really is. She dumped me the moment I became inconvenient. I was nothing to her. Now I feel like telling her who's responsible for all this, so she'd know I'm not nothing. This is the proof. I'm a ninja, damn it! But she can never know for sure, or we'll all be expelled.

Once those two are running after each other again, thinking only about their own needs, Yuuma and Okano start making comments, but I don't join in, and I'm not listening. I feel a grim satisfaction. I get it now. I felt worthless because she betrayed me, and that feeling blinded me. She deserved this, because it matters how you treat other people. You can't treat them like shit just because you think you're above them. You have to treat them right, or you might find out that they're actually assassins, with lots of assassin buddies. And then what'll happen to you? So it's better for her to learn that, if she can.

I have to thank everyone. It felt good to get that out of my system. I think I can move on, and not have this… nasty breakup weighing me down. On to better things, like my new girlfriend from another school. Yuuma's not the only one who can put things together quickly. Maybe I'll have better luck with someone not from this freaking school.

* * *

**It seems like that are four distinct groups within class 3-E. You've got the Nagisa-Karma-Nakamura-Okuda group, who are mostly okay people, but who can be cold and downright vicious at times. Especially Nagisa and Karma. Then there's the Kurahashi-Fuwa-Okajima group, who are… a little eccentric, and often in the own little world. Next is the quasi-anarchist group, that's your Terasaka-Yoshida-Kiraras. And finally, there's the actually normal people, the Isogai-Maehara-Megu-Kanzaki group. They follow social norms, lack major oddball quirks, and aren't so comfortable with violence that they terrify their classmates, as the people in group 1 sometimes do (though they will still use it if provoked).**

** So it makes sense to me that Maehara would hesitate to strike back at a person he knows, especially so early on in the timeline. But he'd still follow through, though he wouldn't be ecstatic about it, because he's no doormat, and she did deserve some kind of retribution. And note, I paid close attention to his behavior during the chapter in question, the changes in his expression, the times he speaks and remains silent. I'm pretty confident I got him right. Also, he knows about Isogai's secret, and he's okay with it.**

**I suppose while I'm analyzing these guys I should address their relationship, because they seem to be one of the more common slash pairings. Unlike Karma/Nagisa, I think Isogai/Maehara could actually happen. And based on the evidence Maehara could be gay. Having lots of girlfriends over a short period of time could be a sign that he isn't forming emotional attachments with them. Or he could be a James Bond type, but based on my analysis of the rest of his character I don't think he has it in him to be that callous. I haven't decided if I want to see him that way for the purposes of this story or not. Though I should say I don't really ship any of these characters together personally. It's all purely analytical on my part.**


	13. Sugino: Boiling Frogs

**13. Tomohito Sugino: Boiling Frogs**

* * *

_May 24, after the Kyoto trip_

I don't really think of myself as a violent person. I love competition, especially when I'm winning. But a few days ago, I beat a guy into unconsciousness with a comically oversized textbook. I didn't even think about it at the time, which makes it worse. I need to talk to someone about it, so I've dragged Nagisa outside so we can eat lunch together and talk privately. I especially don't want Karma hanging around. He's bad news. We have a shady spot under a tree we always go to, but Nagisa's already finished eating and has sat down cross-legged in the light so he can see what he's doing as he cleans his pistol. I hesitated to bring it up.

"What's wrong, Sugino?" Nagisa suddenly asks, picking up the barrel from a cloth he's set the disassembled pieces on and starting to wipe off the outside with a cloth. "You've been kinda quiet. I know it's not the midterms, you don't let things bother you for that long."

My friend has become a lot more observant over these past few months, and more direct too. He's easier to have a conversation with now, but I'm not sure what to think about the way he's changing. The way we all are.

"…I saw you got on the leaderboard for top marksmanship score." I say, trying to sound happy for him, but my brow's a little pinched.

He looks up from his work, a little surprised. "Hmm. I've been doing okay. Not like Chiba, Isogai and Hayami, though. They're amazing."

No kidding. I literally can't believe how good Chiba is. How does he even see through those bangs?

"You're really getting into this, huh?" I grimace a bit, wishing I were better at keeping a straight face.

"Are you not?" He asks, switching to a brush to clean the inside of the barrel and magazine slot. "You were having fun when you tried that baseball with the pellets on it."

"Mah, well, that was against Koro-sensei, you know?"

He frowns, and I realize that that probably didn't follow the trail of this conversation.

"What's this all about, Sugino-kun?" Nagisa's worked quickly. He's reassembling the pistol now, applying lubricant around the moving parts as he goes.

Well, no avoiding it now. "I guess I having a little trouble accepting how easy it is to be violent. You remember those punks who kidnapped Kayano-san and Kanzaki-san, right?" Of course he does. "We… really let them have it."

"They had it coming." I'm surprised by how firmly he declares it, moving the barrel back and forth to make sure it slides right. "You thought so too."

Yes, I did. We had to get back at them, and it felt damn good. But I just can't say that aloud. "Are you okay with… with being able to hurt people so easily? Not Koro-sensei, but an actual human."

He clicks the last piece in place, and unfolds his legs a bit. He stares into the distance, and I start to hope that I'm not the only one thinking about this.

"Sugino-kun… To make people acknowledge me again, or to protect what little I have left, I'd kill. If you don't have that level of resolve, assassinating Koro-sensei will be impossible."

I feel like I've been punched in the gut. This old schoolhouse… is a secret killer garden. And one of us is in full bloom already.

"Wh-, When did that happen, man? Don't tell me Karma…"

Nagisa never snaps, but he's as close to it as I've ever heard him. "I've always felt this way. Karma has nothing to do with it, and I'd like you to stop talking about him like that."

He leaves me behind. He has left me behind. I didn't know him as well as I thought. But he's right. I just needed him to show me. I can't stay where I am, like this. I have to follow him. Assassination class is starting again, but it's okay. Whatever happens, I'll have everyone else there with me, right?

* * *

**Sugino is probably the most normal person in class 3-E. None of them seem to have any real problem with jumping right on in the assassination, though only a few show an equal comfort level with fighting other humans. But if any of them were to have such an issue, I think it would be him. I guess this is kinda similar to the previous chapter and chapter 9, but this one is about a more general discomfort with the way the students are becoming a sort of child soldiers. Or you could say that because Sugino is more normal than Nagisa, he just noticed and became worried before he actually killed someone. This story has already taken the students farther than they've gone in canon (with Nagisa's one successful assassination job), but one wonders how far they'll go in the next little while, considering recent events in the manga. (Most recent chapter is 61 as of the time of this writing)**


	14. Karma: Antarabhava

**14. Karma Akabane: Antarabhava**

* * *

_March 16, 2013, before the start of the current school year_

I like to catnap with the sun shining on me when I brood. The stereotype of a teenager hiding in his dark cave of a room angsting about life, the universe and everything? That's not for me. Fortunately, my room has a big window facing so the light comes through really nicely in the afternoons. Lounging around in a chair that's really more just a pile of cushions is way better than getting brainwashed in school.

Which is where I'd normally be right now.

Well, no, now that I think about it, it's Saturday, a half-day, so school would be out by now. Meh, details.

It's for the best that I've been suspended until a few weeks into the next school year. I don't want to be anywhere near that place. Not after my teacher went and (figuratively) offed himself like he did. That self-serving shitheel. I like to think of myself as an independent free spirit, but I really did enjoy having someone validate me like he did. My mistake for indulging in flattery. All he cared for was what my good grades could do for him. Finding that out stung just a little bit. Almost as much as I'm sure it stung him to have his office trashed by someone a third his age, but twice his strength.

The scene keeps replaying in my mind, and each time I end up wrecking the place more. Sometimes I imagine booby traps springing on him. Sometimes I wring his neck. All pointless. But I don't feel like doing anything else.

"Karma-kun."

I startle a bit and sit up. Well, look who finally decided to drop by. "Nagisa, yo. What are you doing here?"

He steps into my room. He's still way too polite, but at least I've gotten him to understand that if I didn't want him around I'd let him know. "Your mother let me in. She's worried about you." He says, not answering my question.

I shrug, totally indifferent. "No reason for her to be. Oh, maybe it's because my friends never dropped by to see me? I mean, my teacher just threw me away when I became inconvenient, so maybe I'd want them around?" He flinches at the implied accusation. Okay, so maybe I'm feeling just a little sore over getting stabbed in the back by my teacher. I should have learned from that, but I still wanted to see my best friend. Yes, he is that, even if he never quite became the partner-in-crime I'd been hoping for.

"I didn't think I'd be allowed to." He defends, holding his hands close to his chest. "Not after what you did. I'm sorry."

Yeah, leave it to him to make me feel like a jerk. He's just too earnest. But my parents would definitely let him in. They're endlessly indulgent. I run a hand through my hair as an awkward silence falls. "Well, what have you been up to these last few days?"

"Studying." He says shortly. It's not like him to speak like that. I'm headed for class E next year regardless, so the final test doesn't matter to me, but he… No, could he have? He's avoiding my eyes, holding himself protectively. He looks like someone ran over his dog. Oh shit, he did. "It looks like I'll be joining class E before you do." He finally bites out.

So that's why he came. I try not to be too happy that we'll be in the same class next year after all. I don't care about falling into the End class, but he won't feel the same. I scoot to the side and pat the seat next to me. The chair is more than big enough for the two of us.

Keeping his gaze down, but still smiling, he comes over to accept my offer. "I'm being selfish. I should be here to help you out."

I wave a dismissive hand. "I'm fine. I have nothing to do, and I'm pissed off all the time, but I'm fine. So, who else do we know that'll be joining us?" Did that come across as too indifferent to his distress? Oh well, I'm just bad at this.

Staring out the window, he starts listing. "Terasaka, Yoshida, and Muramatsu." Heh, no surprises there. I'll enjoy having them around for entertainment. "Okuda from class B, Okajima, Hara, Takebayashi, Isogai…"

I sit up. "Isogai!? With his grades? Just what did he do, screw the chairman's daughter?"

That gets a chuckle from him. "I think the chairman only has the one son. At least, I have to hope so."

"Yeah, any more of them and the whole town would suffocate on the smug assholery."

He laughs again. It's nice to see this cynical side, willing to laugh at other people's expense come out. But again, it's not like him. We shoot the breeze for a while longer, and he actually joins in with the mockery. I wonder if this is what he'd be like drunk. He seems to be feeling a lot better, and even my own mood is improving. Finally, he leans back and sighs heavily. He looks serious.

"I really needed this. Nobody else will talk to me. It's one thing to hear about getting sent to class E, it's another to…" He trails off, looking down at his hands. This is getting uncomfortable.

"Well, it's fine as long as you don't kill yourself." I half-joke.

He shakes his head, thankfully. "No, I won't. But… I have thought about killing other people. Just to get them to look at me again."

Okay, that I didn't expect. I knew he had a hidden vicious streak, but this? I'm a prankster, I beat people up for fun, but I've never seriously thought about killing any of them until I got suspended, and even then it was only the one guy. I didn't think he had it in him. You learn something new every day.

I shut my open mouth. Should I try to talk him down? Well, it sounds like he doesn't really need it. But this could be just the thing to get him to really join in my fun.

"You know, there's better things for getting attention than killing people. You can humiliate them, expose their bad parts in lots of different ways. You can destroy them, just by making them see how pathetic they really are. Then they'll have no choice but to acknowledge you." As I speak, suddenly the answer comes to me. This is what I have to do to balance the scales for that betrayal. "In fact, that's exactly what I'm going to do to my old teacher. Maybe my new one too. If they're hired to teach class E, they're probably not very good." I'm almost talking to myself now. "I'll destroy them as teachers. Publicly, and in their own minds. I'll make sure they know they're no better than salarymen, so they can never see themselves as something as important as teachers again. It's the best revenge I can think of." I smile at my friend. Now, to see if we're as alike as I hoped. "So, how about it? Want to give it a try?"

He's looking out the window again, but there's this little smile on his face that I really like the look of. "I think… That sounds good to me. When I meet our new sensei, I'll see about that."

Yes. Yes! I win.

* * *

**I'm realizing that Nagisa gets featured in these a lot. But then, he is the main perspective character. Most of the main plot is seen through his eyes. Still, I suppose I should make an effort to have other characters interact with each other without him more often, simply because it's what we don't see as much of in canon.**

**Now, this is Nagisa and Karma before Koro-sensei had a chance to work on improving them. They're both in a pretty low place, though Karma isn't the type to admit it. Of course, Nagisa in general is a bit too straitlaced to do what Karma does for fun, but at this point he'd probably agree to give it a try. He thinks he's got nothing left to lose, except the few friends who will join him in class E. This is to hint at what might have been if Koro-sensei had never come to give them new purpose. In fact, let's make that a writing challenge. Assassination Classroom certainly needs more stories for the archive. Show me the adventures of Nagisa, Karma and the others as they set out to prove their continued existence in a crushing academic system, with no superpowered octopus to help them. Make it dramatic, realistic, and tough, but plan on a happy ending is all I ask.**


	15. Nagisa: Ace of Swords

**15. Nagisa Shiota: Ace of Swords**

* * *

_July 3, the PE class before Akira Takaoka introduces himself to class E_

Phys. Ed. in class 3-E is something particularly special. We never do the same thing two days in a row. Rock climbing, tree climbing, post balancing, unarmed combat, armed combat, marksmanship, footwork, stealth, and on and on and on. We play modified sports, where instead of bats, rackets, or whatever, we use knives to hit a ball around. At least once every other day, we hold a combat rally, or as some call it, an assassination massacre. That's when everyone gather around Karasuma-sensei, and one or two at a time we take turns fighting him. It's terribly unfair, for us. Even though we have knives and he's unarmed, even the best of us can barely get a hit in. He doesn't even seem to tire much. But, at least most of us can last long enough that he'll let us bow out instead of throwing us to the ground. Well, except Karma. He never gives up, so he always gets knocked around a little.

For example, today Karma silently signaled to me to come around behind Karasuma-sensei while he attacked from the front. It never got to that point, though. Before I could sneak into position, sensei drew him in, and when Karma lunged, his arm got grabbed and pulled. He stumbled, but managed to stay on his feet well enough to quickly spin and slash at sensei's face. It was too slow, and worse, it left him overextended. Sensei ducked and swiped his feet out from under him before his knife finished the first swing.

Sensei rises and hops back a step, smiling mockingly. It's weird to think of our formal, disciplined teacher that way, but he really enjoys fighting just as much as Karma does. He's incredibly good at it, too, and doesn't slip up because of over-confidence. Just now, he made sure Karma couldn't attack him from the ground by putting distance between them. Unlike Koro-sensei, who has personality flaws that can be exploited, I don't think Karasuma-sensei has any weaknesses.

I fade back, to rethink my approach. All of our sensei are amazing. Even Bitch-sensei, in her own way. They tower over us. We can barely even aspire to touching their greatness. But… That hasn't stopped us before. Not with Koro-sensei. We keep trying to kill him, no matter how ludicrously overpowered he is. Maybe I need to start thinking of our other sensei the same way. If I don't try to fight him, but try to kill him instead. Like Koro-sensei. Do it for real. Kill him… Kill him…

I gaze at the knife in my hand. The world has snapped into sharp focus. I can feel the wind in my hair, and can imagine a gleam in my eyes, reflected in the blade. This is a purity of spirit that I've only felt a few times before. When I look at Karasuma now, I see a target. Not a human. My sensei. His back is to me. The fights are winding down. I must strike before they stop. Chiba has just gotten thrown back, his knife flying through the air. Sugino is stepping forward. Sensei sizes him up. His perception has narrowed by a fraction. Now.

I glide forward with the wind, my steps light on the grass. I will aim for sensei's kidneys. Not immediately fatal, but enough for a human to bleed out quickly. Each one receives a tenth of the body's blood flow. I'm five steps away now. Four. Three. On two, I step harder, picking up speed to add momentum to the blow. He tenses. It's too late. One, and-

He moves faster than I've ever seen a human move. His arm rockets into me, the back of his hand catching me across the cheek bone. Blue sky and green grass flip back and forth across my vision as I tumble head over heels. I think I've rolled almost three meters when I stop, the back of my head thudding against the ground. Reflexively, I sit up, rubbing the painful spot.

"Ow…" That's all I can manage. I've been knocked out of… whatever that was. Everything's back to normal. Karasuma-sensei is frozen in place, looking like he can't believe his eyes. If not for a growing headache, I might be a little annoyed by that. It's not like nobody's tried a sneak attack on him before. There's no reason to act so shocked just because it's me, right?

He shakes himself out of it, and runs over to help. "Sorry. I swung a bit too hard. Can you stand?"

But he's not just concerned. That glare on his face, with contained anger and deep calculation, isn't usually directed at us. He wears it when he's thinking about our mission, and his. He's not enjoying this any more. That's a soldier awakened coming at me.

I don't like it. Not that look, not directed at me. So I wave him off, tell him I'm fine. Once I've staggered to my feet, he believes me. I'm starting to feel a bit better, so I manage to walk off in a straight line. I can still feel him watching me, though. Sugino makes some comment, but I just groan and ignore him. I don't know what I was thinking, trying to take him on like that. I couldn't have killed him… Not with the weapon I had. It wasn't effective against humans. It wasn't even really sharp. The whole thing was just ridiculous. I'll have to come up with something completely different if I ever want to score a point against him, something he completely won't see coming. But what?

…Next time, I'll duck.

* * *

**In tarot reading, the Ace of Swords represents mental clarity, acting in spite of fear, and achieving victory through new tactics. It relates to both this scene, which takes place in chapter 38, and to Nagisa's Crowning Moment of Awesome in chapter 41. Perhaps more the latter than the former, but I (and many other people, I'm sure) always wanted to see what we didn't see when Nagisa made Karasuma fear for his life.**

** …Just last chapter, I was saying I feature Nagisa too much, and then I went and wrote this. Whatever, I can't help who my favorites are. This story arc is exactly the reason why. Little Nagisa, so sweet and polite, but when push comes to shove he's hard enough to swing the sharp edge of a real knife straight for a guy's neck.  
**

**The little detail of Nagisa feeling wind in his hair is a reference to the way it seems to rise up a bit as if lifted by wind whenever his killing intent is switched on. You can see it in manga chapters 1, 11 and 41.**


	16. Okuda: Toil and Trouble

**16. Manami Okuda: Toil and Trouble**

* * *

_October 31, Halloween_

I adjust my hat with a wide grin. That is not me in the mirror. Not me at all. That person is lighter skinned, without glasses (she wears brown colored contacts instead), with her hair let down in a shiny cascade. She wears a black turtleneck and pants, covered by a brilliant red great coat and topped off with a wide-brimmed crimson fedora. This person is a master criminal. I can feel myself slipping into the role, all my insecurities melting away. It's just right for what we're about to do.

"Mmahaha." Ah, no. This woman wouldn't laugh like that, like a mad scientist. She's much more like… "Dohohoho." Yes, the classy laugh, with one black-gloved hand raised. Perfect.

Karma slips in next to me, putting an arm over my shoulder. I try to keep my villainous smile, but I see myself blush from the close contact, and his costume isn't helping. He looks amazing. Odd, but amazing. He's got what I want to say is a witch's hat, but he'd be a warlock instead, right? And a black short-sleeved coat with a big slit cut through one side of the front, held slightly open with string like a shoelace, and a red bow with bits of chain hanging off the end at the top of the midline zipper. His thick, rough pants had belts wrapped around the thighs in an X-shape, and in his hand he carried a staff with a knob on one end shaped like Koro-sensei's head.

"Ready to raise some hell?" He asked. I am. Like never before.

A week ago, I was speaking with Shiota-kun after class. We started to become friends after the incident during the Kyoto trip. I find him very patient and agreeable. But I never gave much thought to Karma-kun. I always thought he was scary. But on that particular day, he came over to us and asked if he could speak to me about something. I was okay with it, but then something weird happened. He and Shiota-kun just looked at each other. Shiota's eyebrows went up and he said he thought it would be best if we spoke in private, so he would have plausible deniability.

He wasn't wrong about that. Karma-kun wanted me to help him with the greatest prank he has ever pulled. The school hosts a costume party on Halloween night. Of course, members of class E aren't invited. He wanted to crash the party, and take a little revenge. And I'd get to test my chemistry skills. I agreed at once. The part of me that laughs at the misfortune of others was crowing.

We got together often for the next few days. Using the chemistry apparatus provided for class E's use, we set out to create a truth serum. We had none on hand, but we had plenty of chemical reagents. Well, of course such a thing as a truth serum doesn't actually exist. Chemicals like sodium thiopental suppress higher brain functions, which means that sometimes the brain skips the stage where it decides to withhold information it doesn't want everyone to know. They're unreliable at best against people who are trying to hide something, but against unsuspecting teenagers, they'll be ideal.

Together we brewed a concoction that would be effective even when administered orally, with side effects subtle enough that they could be attributed to tiredness. We don't want to make them reveal everything about themselves, or to make them groggy, just loosen their tongues so they say what they really think about each other. Karma was a great help in picking which chemical to create. It surprised me. He's smart, obviously, but it's one thing to score well on a test. It's entirely another to really see the elements of the periodic table as a list of tools at your disposal, and not just a bunch of letters on a note card. But he was deft, insightful, and so curious about how I did my work. I found myself babbling to him at great length on many technical subjects, and he didn't seem to mind. In fact, he seemed to glow. Even I could see the plans coming into being in his mind. Then he tested the serum on himself, over my objections, and said…

_"This is exactly what I wanted. You are just the partner I've been looking for."_

We walk to school arm in arm, but we'll enter the assembly hall separately. He's too well known, so he'll stay out of sight. It'll be up to me to do the deed. "Don't forget, that I'll be watching over you from the shadows. If it looks like you're in trouble, I'll show myself and draw their attention. Your costume and make-up with keep them from recognizing you easily. You're probably thinking I'll stir up trouble just for fun, but trust me, I can hold back when there's something as big as this waiting to go off." Perhaps it's a sign of how I'm still too trusting that it didn't even occur to me that he might do that. "You can leave as soon as you're done, but I'm gonna stick around for a while, see what happens."

I swallow. "I… I'll stay, too. Just long enough for it to start. I want to see them get what they deserve for how they still treat us. Just… don't go too far from me." Getting caught in that crowd could mean expulsion. I don't know how long my courage will last. He's taught me how to navigate crowds, how to use clusters of people to fall out of people's line of vision so nobody can keep an eye on me for long. I hope it'll work.

He pulls me a little closer and grins down at me. "Don't worry. Those idiots are no match for a pair of brilliant assassins like us."

It suddenly occurs to me that this is a date. The thought makes me feel a bit faint. This is not normal. This is just right.

We split up right before reaching the school gate. I expect I won't see him for a while. The assembly hall is mostly empty. We've come early, but there are still a couple dozen middle and high schoolers already here. I don't go to parties often, but this doesn't seem like much of one. There are a few tables of food, and a few backdrops for people to take pictures of each other's costumes, but not much else for people to do but stand around and talk to each other. It's almost a little sad. Even I can tell, these people are so high strung they've forgotten how to have fun.

Well, things will get a little livelier soon. A few people notice me, but there's no recognition. My "experience" as a wallflower actually helps here. I feel like I know how to walk, where to look, to shake off their interest, even with this flashy coat flapping a bit behind me. The hat's brim being wide enough to hide my head from any direction if I tilt it right helps too. But this sneakiness isn't really something I enjoy in and of itself. I quickly reach the first food table. Glancing around for anyone watching, I reach for a rice ball. Once it's in my hand, I bend my wrist down, triggering a spray nozzle hidden up my sleeve, and a little spray of our specially-formulated truth serum mists over the whole plate.

What I've just done, with my own hands, freezes me in place. I fear being caught. That thought runs through my head over and over. I have to get out of here, but my feet won't move. Suddenly, I feel a hand on my shoulder. I tense up, about to bolt, but it just gives me a gentle, reassuring squeeze, and it's gone as quickly as it came.

I don't look. I can't draw attention to Karma, and he's still counting on me to get the job done. Still believing in me. Slipping back into character, I nonchalantly walk down the length of the snack table. Transfer the rice ball to my other hand, freely my other one to wave back and forth daintily, covering all the rest of the food in the process. Nobody notices at all, nor do they when I repeat the process at the other two tables. So far so good, but I'll have to keep an eye out for more trays being brought out. And other than that, just wander around in the background and wait for the drug to take effect.

In just thirty minutes the crowd has grown to over a hundred. I'm passing by a girl I sort of recognize, wearing some cheap cosplay outfit with a low-cut top, holding a small plate with a couple pastries, when I hear it.

"I mean, I know you've had a few boyfriends before, but I just want to hear that I'm the only one right now." A slightly harried looking boy says to her.

She smiles. "I only keep the other one around for when you're not available."

It's a magical moment. Now I know where I've seen her before. This is the one we took revenge on for Maehara-kun. She's foul. Ruining another relationship of hers gives me such joy. I'm amazed the serum took effect so quickly. The boy is not happy, and they're soon in a shouting match. The energy in the room is rising, and if I'm right that'll mean loose tongues getting looser.

"I really don't want to listen to you whine about your grades again."

"Even if you are one of us Virtuosos, I don't even like you."

"Shit, I just can't stand that egotistical attitude of yours."

I stand still, reveling in all these petty bullies insulting each other. I forget myself, and start to laugh quietly. They're all such awful people. It's outrageously funny to see them turning their nature on each other for once. I have to get out of there, before I'm cackling to the sky. The caper complete, the master criminal escapes. They'll never catch me.

As soon as the cool night air hits my face, I can't hold it in any longer. Beside me, Karma has reappeared, enjoying himself just as much. He twirls his staff around, and catches it upside down.

"That was brilliant. Even better than I thought." He says.

I nod, eyes closed in pure happiness. "I didn't think it would go so well. There weren't any problems at all!"

He scoffs a bit. "Well, there were a few things, but I took care of them for you. Nothing serious. So, you wanna do this again some time?" He asks without a bit of hesitation.

I respond the same. "Yes. Absolutely. As soon as we can." This has been one of the most fun nights of my life.

* * *

**This is my favorite pairing. It sits right at the top of my list of which ones are most likely. Karma mentions being interested in Manami as sort of a joke, but when you think about it they go together very well. He can give her confidence, she can keep him grounded. Their affinity for revenge gives them something in common, and an activity they can enjoy together. And he'll do more than just tolerate it when she goes off on long-winded explanations, as aspergics tend to do, because he enjoys learning about anything he can make use of, and he'd find the things she's interested in very useful.**

** I hope that at least one person can recognize the costume Okuda was wearing, though I suspect that only my American readers will be able to.**


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